


making up for lost crime

by oops_I_lost_my_marbles



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Detectives, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, IDENTITY SHENANIGANS, Ice Cream, Identity Reveal, Murder Mystery, Oneshot, POV Female Character, POV Third Person, Swearing, Whodunnit, enemies to reluctant partners to flustered messes to lovers, please I just want some ramen but I cannot bring myself to eat until after I finish this, sorry for the crappy quality, yes they're still heroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oops_I_lost_my_marbles/pseuds/oops_I_lost_my_marbles
Summary: After Hawkmoth’s defeat, Ladybug and Chat Noir decide to still keep their identities a secret, and they patrol Paris in their spare time. Coincidentally, they both become detectives in their civilian lives. When a startling murder rips Paris in half, who would be better to solve the case than Ladybug and Chat Noir themselves? That would be a great idea, except Adrien and Marinette sort of hate each other...
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 6
Kudos: 77





	making up for lost crime

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, if you're coming here from my first fanfic, thank you so much! I was surprised at how much feedback I got. I appreciate all of you so much.
> 
> If you're new to my fics, you're in for a wild ride. I'm an amateur, and I'm still learning... but I have a lot of inspiration due to the absence of stress in my brain from moving to online school! Expect more stories soon.
> 
> This is a one-shot. I will not be posting any more chapters. It's just a short story.
> 
> Lastly, I would like to thank you for reading this. It seriously means a lot to me. Feel free to comment, leave kudos, or whatever to let me know how I'm doing! :)
> 
> (my spectacular beta was @stars_and_suns)
> 
> Enjoy!

Marinette took a deep breath. She knew today was going to be a rough day, and she was already prepping for it by nursing two extra-large mugs of steaming coffee. Not only was she in charge of the biggest case she’d ever been presented with, but she was also getting a brand new partner. 

At age 26, Marinette wasn’t sure what she expected from life anymore. At 17, she defeated Hawkmoth. At 18, she graduated high school. Instead of pursuing her initial career path of fashion design, she decided that she missed fighting crime as Ladybug. At 22, she graduated from college with a degree in criminology. She quickly got thrown into a position as a police officer after she graduated top of her class. Everyone had high expectations of her, herself included. Soon after that, the police officers decided that she would be much better as a detective, because of her keen eye and dedication to every case.

_I’ve been a detective for almost four years,_ she thought. _But why do I feel like I’m doing something wrong?_

“Marinette?” She was interrupted from her thoughts by Officer Bisset, one of her co-workers. “Your new partner is here to start discussing the details of the case with you.”

“Oh, goodie.” She feigned a smile. “What’s the consensus on this guy?”

Bisset leaned towards her. “He’s a pain in the ass, that’s for sure. His mouth hasn’t stopped running. He came from a private agency, but he’s got a track record almost as good as yours. He’s charming. Just ask Ms. Clermont; I think she’s in love.” He paused. “I guess he’s good looking. His eyes are nice.”

“Just what I need.” Marinette got to her feet. “A good-looking smart-aleck. Thanks for the intel. Wish me luck.”

Bisset nodded and followed Marinette out of her office. She listened to the sound of her heels clicking on the floor as she rounded the corner to greet her partner. Her eyes started on his shirt. The fashion designer in her knew that the material was expensive and that it was a name brand. She traced his jawline before resting her eyes on his. _Bright green._ Surprised, she fumbled for words. “Uh-”

The man extended a hand. “Hey, I’m Adrien Agreste.” He threw her a smile full of charm. “Nice to meet you, partner.”

She hurriedly shook his hand. “I know who you are.” She smoothed out her skirt, trying not to fidget. “I’m Marinette-”

“-Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien finished. His smile disappeared. “I thought I recognized you.”

“I didn’t know you were a detective,” She said.

“One of my many skills.”

Someone cleared their throat. “Mr. Agreste, Ms. Dupain-Cheng.” Marinette turned to face her boss, Officer Dubeau. “While I am glad you are getting acquainted, I’m afraid we have a more pressing matter to take care of.” She handed Marinette a manila folder. 

Marinette nodded. “We’re heading to the crime scene now.”

She felt eyes glued to her back as she headed out of the building. Holding open the front door, she murmured, “Try to keep your eyes to yourself, Mr. Agreste.”

He cracked a smile. “What, you can’t call me Adrien? We’ve known each other since high school.”

She closed the door. “We don’t have time for that.” As they climbed into a car, Marinette handed Adrien the envelope. “Read it out loud while I drive.”

“Jeez, you’re demanding.” He rolled his eyes while pulling on the seat belt. “Mayor Bourgeois, found dead in his penthouse suite early this morning. Police think it was a heart attack, though further investigation could point to foul play. It’s up to us to discover whether he was murdered or not.”

“Ok.” Marinette kept her eyes on the road.

“Just ‘ok’? I haven’t seen you in eight years and all you have to say is ‘ok’?”

She reached over to adjust her rearview mirror. “Frankly, I don’t want to talk to you any more than I have to. You were unnecessarily rude and cruel to me during college.”

“So? You were a stuck-up bitch.”

She slammed on the breaks. “Get out.”

“What?”

“I said, get out of my car.” She pressed the unlock button to emphasize her point. “I don’t care if you are my partner. I don’t put up with children.”

He gaped at her. “But-”

“Enjoy your walk.” She reached over, unbuckled him, and shoved him out of the car. “And drop the condescending comments, while you’re at it.”

He gave her a crude gesture, and she peeled away from the curb while taking a deep breath. Tikki, once checking that she was alone, popped out of her purse. “Marinette, I don’t think-”

“Not right now.” Marinette kept driving, trying to hold back tears. “I have a case to focus on, and I’m not letting him get in the way.”

“Look, maybe he’s just-”

“Tikki, I really appreciate it, but not right now. He broke my heart.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead with one hand. “I need to solve this case.”

“Just listen for one minute, ok?” Tikki said. “He’s been through a lot. Now, I know that doesn’t excuse his actions, but you have to understand what he’s been going through. I think he really needs a friend.”

“He made it perfectly clear during that party that he did not want to be friends with me.”

“Give him a chance.” 

Marinette pulled into the hotel parking lot, and her mind shifted to detective mode. “Later, Tikki. Right now, I have a crime scene to investigate.”

* * *

Adrien was mad. First, he just so happened to get paired with Marinette. Then, he got kicked out of her car and was forced to walk to the hotel. And she had shoved him so hard that his arm was sure to bruise. He heard Plagg mumble from inside his pocket, “stupid humans with their stupid emotions.”

For once, Adrien agreed. _Marinette is totally overthinking things. And she’s a drama queen._

A memory flew into his mind while he was walking along the sidewalk:

_Adrien entered the house, and instantly the loud music was drowned out by shouts. Everyone rushed to greet him._

_“Dude, I’m so glad you could make it!” Nino said with a grin._

“ _Yeah, thanks, Nino. Can we talk real quick? I know you’re supposed to be djing, but it’s important.”_ _  
  
_

_“Of course.”_

_They stepped out front, and Adrien didn’t wait to beat around the bush. “Look… I don’t want to be friends anymore.”_

_“What?” Nino asked, shocked. “Dude-”_

_“It’s nothing personal. We’re going to different colleges, and we’re moving on with our lives._ I’m _finally leaving my old life behind.”_

_“No-”_

_Suddenly, Alya appeared, fists clenched. “You b-”_

_Marinette held her back, impossibly strong, and covered her mouth._

_Adrien sadly looked at them, too. “Yeah, that includes you two too. I’m moving on. You should do the same.”_

_He saw the anger fade from Alya’s eyes. Shock flooded them instead. “Why?”_

_“I came here to say goodbye. Enjoy the party.” Adrien turned to walk towards his car._

_“Adrien, wait,” Marinette panted, running towards him. “We can talk about this-”_

_“There’s nothing to talk about.”_

_“Look, if this has to do with your father, I understand-”_

_“This has_ nothing _to do with him.” Adrien whipped around with a wild look in his eyes. “And you sure as hell don’t understand. Your whole life, everything has been handed to you on a silver platter. Your parents were perfect. Your house was perfect. Your_ life _was perfect. Don’t pretend like you understand me.”_

_She flinched, deeply hurt. However, a determined look appeared on her face. “Adrien, I’m worried about you. I care about you, as your friend.”_

_“If you cared about me, you wouldn’t treat me like this, you bitch.”_

_She gasped, tears gathering in her eyes._

_Adrien went in for the kill. “And you were_ never _my friend.”_

_She looked numb. Adrien turned and walked away without another word._

That was the last time he had seen Marinette. It was hard to believe that it was nearly eight years ago. He had been mad, and she had just made it worse. He hated her for it. 

Now, she was sitting there, high and mighty, acting like he was the one who had messed up. Adrien tried to think of why she would be so angry but came up blank. “Plagg?”

His kwami zipped out of his pocket. “What now?”

“Do you know why Marinette is so mad at me?”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Yeah, doofus. You said some pretty mean things.”

“But… that was a long time ago. And she hurt my feelings first.”

“What are you, a toddler?” Plagg sighed. “What did she ever do to hurt you? Name one thing.”

Adrien thought for a while. “She left me alone. They all did. I was drowning, and they just stood there.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like she did that on purpose.”

“If I had known you would just jump to defend her, I wouldn’t have asked.” Adrien looked up. “And it looks like we’ve reached our destination anyway.”

He braced himself for what was inside, feeling slightly guilty for some reason.

* * *

“He was found on the bed, here, by the cleaning crew. They were just outside when they heard a thump and came to investigate.” The officer looked up at Marinette. “There was no one else seen in the room.”

“Is it confirmed now that he had a heart attack?” She asked.

“They’re doing an autopsy now.” 

“Ok, thanks.”

The officer turned to leave the room. “Hey, where’s your partner?”

“Right here,” Adrien said, wandering into the suite. “Just fashionably late.”

“Well, partner, let’s get to work.” Marinette pulled out her notepad without meeting his eyes. “The mayor was found dead at roughly-”

“-a tragedy! I demand that you fix this _right now_!” Screeched a voice from the hallway. Marinette and Adrien poked their heads out to look. Chloe Bourgeois was standing there, tears and mascara running down her face like rivers, yelling at an officer. “This was a murder! I know it!”

Marinette stepped out. “Chloe, what makes you say that?”

Chloe eyed her with disdain. “What are you doing here?”

Marinette pulled out her badge. “I’m the detective. Now answer the question.”

“Whatever. You’re never going to solve the case.” She turned back to the officer. “Get someone else on the job, like Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Marinette interrupted again. “What makes you think they can help?”

“They could do anything better than you, that’s for sure.” Chloe snorted.

“That’s a joke,” Marinette said under her breath.

Adrien stepped out. “What do you mean? Do you have something against them or something?”

“No, I-” Marinette started.

“Adrien! Thank goodness.” Chloe smiled. “You’ll get my father justice in no time.”

“Yeah, well, first we need to get all of the details first,” Adrien said, shooting Marinette a look that screamed _we’ll finish this later_.

“I’ll be happy to help,” Chloe exclaimed, flipping her hair. “So, I know that it looks like he had a heart attack. But that’s not true. I know it.” She leaned in closer. “He’s been murdered.”

“Why do you say that?” Marinette questioned, curiosity written across her face.

“I know my father. He had perfect health for his age, and he has a perfectly balanced diet. He didn’t have any heart problems, and he didn’t have any discomfort or shortness of breath. I was with him minutes before he died, and he was fine.”

“You seem to know a lot about heart attacks,” Marinette commented idly.

“Yeah, well, Sabrina’s a doctor.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I can give you a list of people who were seen in the building last night. And I had my butler take pictures of the crime scene before anyone arrived.”

“Wait,” Adrien said. “Why were you with your father last night?”

She refused to meet their eyes. “We were discussing an important matter. It’s personal.”

Marinette finished writing. “Thanks, Chloe. We’ll take you in for a recorded questioning later.”

“Wait, me?” Chloe gasped. “You think I did it?”

“As of right now, you’re a suspect, yes.” 

“But-”

Marinette turned and headed back into the room, and Adrien followed. 

“Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?” Adrien questioned.

“You’re one to talk.” Marinette murmured. “And if you think that was harsh, I don’t think you’re cut out to be a detective.”

“Hey, I’ve solved my fair share of crimes, thank you very much.”

Marinette ignored him. “The crime scene was fairly clean. No blood, no unusual fingerprints, nothing out of the ordinary.” She watched as Adrien bent over to observe a vase. “Don’t touch anything.”

He scoffed. “I’m not an amateur.” Right after that, Adrien snagged his foot on a carpet and fell over. Marinette looked at him as if to say _told you so._ He got to his feet and dusted himself off, embarrassed. “Hey, wait. Look at this.”

He gestured to a muddy footprint that had been revealed by the rug’s shifting. Marinette rushed over, as well as two of the other officers in the hallway. “A print…” 

Quickly, the officers snapped a picture of the footprint and cleared the area. Marinette said, “Let me know what the shoe size is as soon as you get it.” She looked at it and found a tiny butterfly emblem. “That’s Agreste brand.” 

Adrien looked closer. “That’s for sure. Must be an older shoe, though, because they aren’t made like that anymore.”

Marinette wandered around the room a bit more, Adrien in tow. After finding nothing else abnormal, they headed downstairs. 

“So, what do you think?” Adrien wondered aloud as they stood in the elevator.

“I think that I work much better _alone_.” 

“Come on, you can’t be serious-”

The elevator dinged open, and an employee stepped forward. “Ms. Dupain-Cheng? Mr. Agreste?” The pair nodded, and the man held out an envelope for them. “Here is the guest list from last night, as Ms. Bourgeois requested I give to you. No one else was permitted in the hotel, or on the perimeters last night. Ms. Bourgeois highlighted who she thought were prime suspects. Also, here’s a stack of photos from the crime scene.”

Adrien grabbed the folder gingerly. “Thanks.”

They headed to the car. Marinette sighed. “Look, I know we don’t really get along, but we need to put our differences aside for this case.”

“You’re the one who’s purposefully making things difficult.” Adrien countered.

Marinette took a deep breath. “Let’s drop it. I’ll pretend like I never met you before today. Deal?”

“Deal.” Adrien buckled as Marinette started the car. “So, where to next?”

“I’m hungry. I’m going to my favorite cafe. I suppose you could tag along.”

“Sounds wonderful.”

* * *

The two sat in a quiet cafe that was mostly empty. Apparently, Marinette was a regular because the hostess smiled as she walked in and led them to a secluded booth. She dumped the two folders they had onto the table. “Ok, we’ve got all afternoon to sort out our thoughts. Let’s start.”

“Mayor Bourgeois, found dead in his bed, at roughly 1:17 am.” Adrien pulled the photo of the mayor’s body to the center of the table. “Cleaning crew found him.” He pulled a photo of three grim-faced women, one holding a mop. “Let’s look at the rest of these.”

They huddled over the photos, each one seeming less boring than the rest. There was no visible evidence of murder. However, the last photo showed an open window with billowing curtains. “I guess that’s how the killer could’ve escaped _if_ he was murdered.”

“Right.” Marinette pulled out her phone to make a call. “Chloe? Yes, this is Marinette.” She paused. “Right. Well, I was wondering if you had security cameras on the outside wall by your father’s suite.” Another pause. “Uh-huh, thanks.” She hung up and looked at Adrien. “Chloe says that they don’t have security cameras on that section of the wall.”

“How convenient.”

At that moment, a waiter came over to take their order. Marinette asked for a grilled cheese with tomato soup, while Adrien got a ham and cheese panini.

“Let’s look at the guest list,” Marinette said, leafing through the papers. Her phone buzzed, and she answered, holding up a finger to Adrien. “Hello? Yes, this is.” _Pause_ . “Oh, fantastic.” _Pause._ “Thank you so much.”

“Who was that? Your boyfriend?” Adrien teased.

She glared at him. “It was the pathologist. He was calling because the autopsy was done. The mayor died of a heart attack, nothing else. They didn’t find any other wounds. He had a few scratches, but nothing out of the ordinary. No signs of struggle.”

“Huh,” Adrien wondered. “Then it’s most likely not a murder. I just wonder why Chloe was so adamant about it.”

“Yeah.” Marinette scrolled through her phone. “Oh! The lab just emailed me about the print. They said it’s a size 11 men’s boot, Agreste brand.”

Adrien scrunched his eyebrows together. “Huh. That’s my shoe size, and my brand. Weird.”

“Yeah, that is.” She read her phone again. “There’s another email, from the pathologist again. He wants us to come in and look at the body. He found something weird.” 

“Jeez, you’re popular today.”

“I guess so.” She started gathering their papers as the waiter walked over with their food. Adrien politely asked for it to be boxed.

Five minutes later, they walked out to the car. Once buckled in, Adrien asked, “Why do you hate me so much?”

Marinette started the car. “Are you really that dense?”

“I guess so.” He felt Plagg’s eye roll in his pocket.

“You really hurt my feelings. Alya and Nino, too. I guess I’m not ready to forgive you for that.”

“Yeah, well you guys were nosy, and not really helpful. I was going through a tough time, and none of you helped.”

“That’s because you wouldn’t _let us._ ” Marinette clenched her teeth together. “I tried so hard to be your friend. I tried to be there for you. You just kept distancing yourself from us, and you were mean. We didn’t know how to help.”

“Yeah, well you just kept sauntering around like you owned the place and you always pretended like you cared about me. I know it was fake. You all treated me like I was a kicked puppy,” Adrien spat.

“It _wasn’t fake._ Adrien, I… cared about you, a lot. And if you thought I was faking it, then you’re denser than I thought.”

The rest of the car ride was silent.

* * *

“So, as you can see, there’s nothing out of the ordinary.” Max, their past classmate and current pathologist, gestured to the body. “Except this.”

He pointed to a tiny hole between the big toe and the middle toe. Marinette and Adrien looked up, confused. Adrien asked, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“That,” Max explained, “could be a needle hole.” He pushed his glasses up. “I once read a thesis paper on air embolism and blood clots and heart attacks caused by external sources, and it was really quite interesting because-”

“Get to the point, please,” Adrien blurted.

Max took a breath. “He could’ve been murdered.”

Marinette sucked in a breath. “How?”

“Someone could have taken an empty syringe and injected enough air into an artery in the foot that it causes a blood clot, which, in result, caused the heart attack.”

Marinette and Adrien looked back at the needle hole. “That’s a lot to infer from one tiny hole.”

“Yeah, I know. You’ll have to search around for more evidence on it, but that could’ve happened. If not, he had a completely normal heart attack.”

“I guess it _is_ our job to figure out whether he was murdered or not,” Marinette conceded. “Thanks again, Max.”

“No problem. Let me know if you need anything else.”

They walked back out to the car. Adrien pulled out the guest list. “So, I guess we should start talking to suspects.”

“Who’s first?” Marinette asked, starting the car.

* * *

After spending all afternoon and evening talking to every guest at the hotel, Adrien and Marinette found no new information. On top of that, the sun had gone down and they still had to get home. Tired and discouraged, Marinette drove Adrien back to the police station to get his car. 

Uneventfully, they both went home and fell asleep.

The next day, they huddled over the booth at the cafe. “I just don’t understand. There’s nothing.”

Adrien hummed in agreement. “I’m starting to think that Chloe was just on edge. I mean, we’ve questioned every person and they’ve all come up blank. The most exciting person was Andre the ice cream man, who offered us a cone.” He frowned. “I still don’t understand why you turned that down.”

“I don’t like you. I don’t want to share a romantic ice cream with you.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly a fan of you either.” He took a sip of his drink. “However, I’m a sucker for ice cream.”

“Shut up and focus on the case. There has to be something we’ve missed.”

“Well, I’m about ready to give up.” Adrien twirled his straw. “Between your lousy attitude and the terrible drinks, I’m ready to call it a day.”

Marinette slammed her hands down on the table. “You know what? Fine. I’ve had enough of you. I don’t care if you are my partner. I’ll do this on my own from now on.”

He got to his feet. “Fantastic.” He left without another word. 

She continued, with no luck, to find some sort of clue that they had missed. Frustrated, she crammed all of the papers back into the envelope and frowned. “I’m going home,” she said to no one in particular. She waved goodbye to the staff and walked out to the parking lot. It was raining, and the sun was starting to set. She tried to cover the folder so that it didn’t get wet. She unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat. 

The passenger door opened, and Marinette’s heart skipped a beat as someone else hopped into the car. Of course, it just so happened to be Adrien, sopping wet.

“Why are you getting into my car?” Marinette fumed.

“You’re my ride home.” He offered, not meeting her eyes.

“So?”

“So, I don’t want to walk. It’s raining.”

She didn’t start the car. Crickets sounded. 

“Look, I’m sorry.” Adrien reasoned. “I get really defensive sometimes, and I say things that I don’t mean.”

“Yeah, well, you should consider how much your words can hurt a person.” She sniffled, and he looked over to see her holding back tears.

He meekly offered a tissue. “I know.”

She blew her nose and started the car. They both jumped when a crack of thunder sounded, scaring them. They stared at each other, and Marinette mumbled, “I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more. I know you went through a lot.”

He shrugged. “I guess we both have some regrets.”

“I vote to start fresh.” Marinette held out her hand and offered a tiny smile. “Hi, I’m Marinette.”

He shook her hand, returning the smile. “I’m Adrien.”

“Partners?” She asked.

“Partners,” he answered. “Now let’s go solve the hell out of this case.”

* * *

They went back to the hotel the next day, hoping to find something new. They found nothing, but they were continuing to re-befriend each other. At the end of the day, Marinette drove Adrien back to the police station while laughing at something he said. “Who knew you had a sense of humor?”

“ _Hey_. I’m insulted.” As soon as the car stopped, he got out and leaned on the door. “Thanks for the ride.”

“You’re welcome.” She said, eyeing him. “Do you need something else?”

“Yeah, I was just wondering if I could get your number. After all, we are partners and we need a way to contact each other.”

She groaned playfully. “I guess this was inevitable. Sure.”

They exchanged numbers and went their own separate ways. Marinette was just pulling into her driveway when her phone buzzed. 

**_CN: Hey, did you get home safe?_ **

She froze. Why was Chat Noir texting her? More importantly, why was it coming through on her normal phone? She had a ‘work’ phone for her hero life, but that shouldn’t be synced to her personal phone. She was still staring at the screen when she unlocked her front door, questioning what was going on. 

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her mouth and a knife got shoved against her throat. “Be quiet, or I’ll cut you.” 

Marinette felt her heart pounding and her adrenaline kicked in. Without thinking, she hit buttons on her phone, hoping to get someone’s attention. 

“Drop your phone. Now.” Marinette listened to the voice, trying to calm herself down. She dropped her phone and tried to think of a way out of this. _I’m freaking Ladybug, for crying out loud. I can handle this._ “Open your door.”

Marinette listened, playing along for now. The person kicked her phone into the wall, and Marinette winced as she watched it shatter. 

“Walk towards your dining room.” She did exactly that. “Sit down in that chair.”

The person roughly shoved some fabric into her mouth and secured it, then zip-tied her hands to the chair, faster than Marinette could react. She still couldn’t see her captor, but she thought that the voice was masculine. She heard the maybe-man rustling around in the kitchen, and she froze as she heard a knife being drawn from her knife block. Marinette didn’t want to risk her identity getting discovered, but she knew she would have to do something, quickly.

She shifted around, trying to use her strength to escape. She was out of luck.

“I know you’re wondering why I’m here.” She heard the captor return. “Well, I won’t tell you much, but I will tell you that you’re sticking your nose in _my_ business, and I can’t have you doing that.” He ripped the fabric from Marinette’s mouth. “Here, talk. I don’t like one-sided conversations. But if you scream, I’m warning you…”

He shoved her knife against Marinette’s throat to prove his point. Marinette shakily took a breath. “Why… me?”

The psychotic man laughed evilly. “You know too much. Max has already been… taken care of, so I only have you and Adrien left on that list. Your friend was a little too smart.”

“Max?” Marinette gaped. “What? Why? Who are you?” She paused. “Did you murder the mayor?”

“That’s a secret.” The man pressed the knife closer to her neck, drawing a bit of blood. Marinette gasped. Just then, Marinette heard the front door open. She couldn’t see who it was. The man whispered, “ _Shit.”_

Marinette watched as the man jumped away from her, broke her front window, and leaped out into the night. Marinette froze, and finally a few tears leaked out of her eyes.

“Marinette?” She heard a voice. _Was that Chat Noir?_ “Are you here?”

“Yes,” she hiccuped, holding back a sob.

“Let me turn a light on.” She heard someone fumbling around with the light switches until her hallway light flicked on. She heard someone swear softly. “Jesus, are you okay?”

“Chat Noir…” She started. “I just-”

“No, it’s Adrien,” The voice said. Marinette chided herself for her mistake.

“Sorry. Could you get me out of here, please?” She was shaking now.

“Yeah.” He cut the zip ties. “What the hell happened?”

“First of all, how did you get here?” 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I… ran. I live nearby.”

“How do you know where I live?”

“You sent me your location. I thought maybe you were in trouble when you didn’t answer my text, so I came to check on you.”

She gasped and rushed into the hallway to grab her phone. The screen was cracked, but it still turned on. Sure enough, she had managed to somehow send her location. However, it went to Chat Noir, not Adrien.

“Wait a minute…”

“What’s wrong?” Adrien asked. “We should go back inside, first of all. Then, you need to tell me what happened.”

“Yeah…” She trailed off, reaching into her purse. She pulled out her work phone. “Give me a minute.” She went to Chat Noir’s contact and looked at the number, then looked at the number on her personal phone. _They’re the same._ “You said you texted me?”

“Yeah, I wanted to make sure you got home safe.”

“ _You_ texted me? From _your_ phone?”

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

She connected the dots. “Uh, nothing. One sec.”

_Adrien texted me from his phone. His number is the same as Chat Noir’s. My contact lists are synced on both of my phones. Adrien is…_

_I think Adrien is Chat Noir._

_But he can’t know I know, or else he’ll realize that I’m Ladybug because I have his number saved in my phone._

_Jeez, this is complicated._

She collapsed onto the couch. “Yeah, uh, well this man held a knife to my throat when I was unlocking my front door. At least, I think it was a man. His voice was deeper. It could’ve been a woman, I guess. Anyway, he got a knife from my kitchen and told me he had to get rid of me like he got rid of Max.” Realization hit her. “Ohmygod, Max!”

Adrien watched as she pulled out a phone and called the police station. “Yes, hello. Yes.” She briefly explained what had happened, reassured them that she was perfectly fine, and requested that they go check on Max. “Yes, thank you. Good night.” She hung up. “They’re going to check on him.”

“Marinette, I know you’re worried about Max, but you need to calm down first. You’re still shaking.” Adrien draped a blanket around her shoulders. “Relax. They’ll take care of him.” She didn’t say anything for a while, and Adrien watched her shoulders shake. He sat next to her and rubbed her back. “Hey, hey. It’s going to be ok.”

“I just-” She hiccuped- “I’m just so overwhelmed. And scared.”

“It’s ok. I’m here.” He drew her into his chest. “You’ll be ok.”

After a while, she stopped crying. Adrien ignored the snot and tears on his shirt. He cleared his throat. “I hate to leave you like this, but I know you don’t want me here. I should probably go.”

She hiccuped as he stood. “No.” She reached to get a tissue. “Please stay.”

He sat back down. “I don’t know if I should be staying here. The neighbors might think-”

“-screw the neighbors. They weren’t any help a few minutes ago.” She blew her nose. “I just need someone right now, and unfortunately, you’re my best option.” She looked at his shirt. “Also, I slobbered all over your shirt and I think I owe you a new one. Plus, it’s too late for you to walk back home.”

“Ok, as long as you’re sure you’re ok with it.” He fumbled with the hem of his shirt, which seemed like a childish habit.

Marinette scoffed. “Please, I’m not worried about you doing anything. I could take you down in ten seconds.”

“That didn’t do you much good when-” He stopped when he realized tears were welling in Marinette’s eyes again. “God, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s ok. I’m just emotional and tired right now.” She got to her feet. “I’m going to go put on pajamas.”

Adrien let her go.

* * *

Marinette emerged from her bathroom snot-free in a loose t-shirt and shorts. She looked around the corner and saw Adrien washing his shirt in the sink. A blush flurried across her face when she realized the situation. _Adrien is in_ my _house, shirtless, late at night. What_ would _the neighbors be thinking?_ After a moment of contemplation, she traced the lines of his back muscles with her eyes. _Does he work out?_

She cleared her throat. “Uh, here’s a spare t-shirt you can wear. It should be big enough.”

He turned around, and she could’ve sworn she saw a blush on his face too. “Thanks.”

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck again. “Sorry about all this. I was thinking about it and I just don’t think I should go home after all. I mean, what if he comes back? I want to be able to protect you.”

If possible, she blushed harder. “Uh, Adrien?” Her voice betrayed herself and squeaked. “Please, uh… put on a shirt.”

“Oh, right, uh-” He grabbed the shirt from her and slipped it over his head. _He’s definitely blushing now._ “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” She looked around, searching for something else to talk about. “So…”

“Uh, it’s been a long night, so I’m going to sleep on the couch. If that’s ok with you..?”

Marinette nodded. “That’s fine. Thanks.” She headed into her bedroom and immediately jumped two feet in the air after seeing a dark shadow in the corner of the room. Without another thought, she wandered back into the living room area. “On second thought, I’m a little on edge. Would you mind just… ah, nevermind. Forget it.”

She dragged herself back to her room without looking at Adrien and plopped onto the bed. She quickly buried herself under her blankets without dwelling too much on the shadows in the room.

Before she knew it, she was asleep. 

* * *

Adrien was a light sleeper, thanks to all the times Hawkmoth had woken him up in the middle of the night. _Thanks, father, for ruining my sleep schedule, amongst other things._

So he bolted upright as soon as he heard a scream. “Marinette?” She screamed again, and he ran into her room. She was thrashing around in her bed, and he couldn’t see what was happening. He grabbed one of her blankets and ripped it off, finding that her eyes were still closed. _She’s having a nightmare,_ he realized. He shook her shoulders, yelling, “Marinette, wake up!”

Her eyes opened, but she didn’t consciously realize what was happening, so she shoved Adrien right off the bed. He fell over, astounded by her strength once again. 

“Marinette, it’s me, Adrien. You were having a nightmare.” He reached for her hand, and she calmed down.

“Ah, sorry.” She blinked her eyes a few times. “I thought you were someone else.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.” He idly rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I think so.” She took a deep breath. “Could you… could you sleep in here tonight?”

His cheeks heated up. “Uh-”

“It’s just, I’m scared. And I might have another nightmare. I sleep better when there’s someone else in the room.”

He looked back out at the couch. “Yeah, I guess. As long as it’s ok with you.”

“I didn’t know you were such a gentleman.” She said, playfully.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” he replied, hopping onto the edge of the bed. She scooted over to give him room. 

His heart quickened when he realized how close he was to her. He saw a blush dust her face, and he knew she felt the same.

“Your face is heating up,” Adrien quipped to distract himself. “Is it something I said?”

“Sorry, I just- I can’t focus…” Marinette mumbled. “...you’re holding my hand.”

He pulled his hand away and felt his face heat up more, if possible. “Ah, sorry.” He turned onto his back so that she wouldn’t see his blush.

“Adrien?” Marinette whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Thank goodness you showed up. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

They were silent for a while.

“Marinette?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry that I said those things to you at the party. I didn’t mean any of them.”

She didn’t reply. _She must have fallen asleep._

* * *

The next morning, Adrien woke up to his phone vibrating in his pants pocket. He swore softly, and realized he didn’t know where he was. Disoriented, he also realized that someone was pressed up against his back. _Shit, what happened last night?_

Then he remembered. _Marinette, the knife, the nightmare…_

He reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone and rolled off the bed. “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Officer Bisset from the police station. Is this Adrien Agreste?” 

“Yes,” Adrien answered.

“Good.” Officer Bisset cleared his throat. “I’ve been trying to contact Marinette for the past hour or so. She’s never been late to work before, and I was just going to check up on her after last night.”

Adrien looked back at Marinette, sleeping on the bed. “Uh, about that. Yes, she’s okay; I’m with her right now.”

There was a pause on the other side of the line. “...you’re with her?”

“Yeah, I was actually at her house when the incident last night happened. I stayed the night to make sure nothing else happened.” He heard a sound similar to coins being shaken out of a wallet. “What are you doing?”

Officer Bisset stuttered, “Ah, well, you see- some of the guys in the office were betting on how long it would take for her to fall for you and-”

“Are you serious?” Adrien rolled his eyes. “She could have been hurt if I didn’t show up. This isn’t a joke.”

“Perfectly understood, Mr. Agreste. Sorry about that. We’ll see you at the station soon, I hope?”

“Yeah, see you soon.” Adrien hung up just as Marinette woke up. 

“Oh, hey, Adrien,” She mumbled, her voice sleepy. Then she fell off the bed. “ _Adrien?_ ” 

“Good morning, sunshine. Nice to see you too.”

“Ah, what time is it-” she stumbled to her feet- “gonna be late for work, gotta go shower-”

He laughed as she ran into the bathroom. Then, he made the bed and got cleaned up as good as he could and then wandered into the kitchen to find breakfast. “Nice, she has hot cereal.”

* * *

Half an hour later, they piled into Marinette’s car. “Where do you live?”

“That’s pretty forward of you to ask.”

“Shut up.”

He rattled off his address, and she realized that Adrien really was her neighbor. He lived a five-minute car ride away. She pulled into the driveway, and he hopped out to go get freshened up.

When he got back into the car, Marinette was daydreaming out the window. “Alright, let’s get to work. We have a case to work on.”

“Right.” Marinette backed out of the driveway. “Did you hear any more about Max?”

“No, Officer Bisset didn’t say anything on the phone.”

“I’m really worried about him.”

“I know. Me too.” Adrien searched for a subject change. “Why did you decide to become a detective?”

Marinette smiled slightly. “Well, I got my degree in criminology and went right into the police force, but we soon discovered that I make a much better detective than a cop.” She sighed, somewhat nostalgic. “And I guess I missed crime-fighting.”

“What do you mean?” He wondered.

Her eyes went wide. “Uh, nothing.” 

“Well, I became a detective for the same reasons as you, actually. I wanted to give the world more justice.”

“I know, it must’ve been tough for you after your father…”

“I prefer not to talk about him.”

“Sorry. Noted.” They pulled into the station’s parking lot.

Adrien remembered what Bisset had said. “Ah, sorry. Some of the guys here know about our little sleepover last night and they might tease you about it.”

She went bright red. “Oh.” 

Before they were in the door, Bisset ran out to greet them. “Hey, guys. Hope you had fun last night.” He grinned, then sobered. “The fun’s all over now, though. We looked into Max Kante, and he was found dead in his room last night. He was stabbed in multiple places.”

Marinette blanched. “Shit.”

“Yeah, it was pretty bad. However, we couldn’t find any prints or incriminating evidence, just like the Mayor.”

Marinette marched to her office. “This is more serious than I thought.”

“Yeah.” Bisset sighed.

Suddenly, another officer ran into the room. “Mr. Agreste?” 

Adrien looked up, alarmed. “Yes?”

“I would like to politely request to see your shoes.”

“What?” Adrien asked.

“Your shoes, Mr. Agreste. Now please.”

Adrien slipped off his boots and handed them to the officer. He walked out of the room with them. “That was odd,” Adrien concluded.

“Yeah,” Marinette said. “Anyway, I think that the murders are connected. The man who held me captive last night said something about us knowing too much and that he had to finish Adrien and I off just like he did with Max. I think it’s because Max uncovered some major evidence about the murder of Mayor Bourgeois.”

“Right,” Adrien continued. “He said that it was possible that someone injected a syringe full of air into the Mayor’s artery, which caused a blood clot, which caused his heart attack.”

“Wow.” Bisset whistled. “That’s a crazy theory.”

“But what if that man wanted to kill us because it was true?” Marinette whispered.

“I don’t know. It’s possible.” 

The same officer burst back into the room, minus Adrien’s shoes. “Adrien Agreste.”  
  


“What now? You want my socks, too?” 

He grabbed Adrien’s wrists and slapped some handcuffs on him. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Mayor Bourgeois. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court.”

“Excuse me?” Adrien spat. “What?”

Marinette held up her hand. “Hold on, you can’t just-”

“With all due respect, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, Adrien’s shoes are confirmed to be the shoes of the murderer. We have matching samples of soil on both his shoes, and the window ledge, and the print found on the floor. We will be taking him in for further questioning.”

She stared at Adrien. “No-”

Bisset held her back. “Marinette, you can’t do anything.”

Adrien looked back at her as he was dragged out of the room, gaping like a fish out of water.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Marinette said with determination. “I can still prove that he’s innocent.”

* * *

Marinette, hunched over in her usual booth at her usual cafe, was stumped. “It just doesn’t make sense…” She had scoured the evidence but came up with nothing. “There’s nothing.”

Chloe Bourgeois, with red puffy eyes, slid into the bench in front of her. “Dupain-Cheng,” she muttered, as a way of greeting.

“Chloe, this is private. You can’t be here.”

“Puh-lease,” Chloe snarked. “It’s my dad-” she sighed- “and I know Adrien didn’t do it.”

Marinette sharply looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I went in to question him, and he just kept yelling ‘I didn’t do it.’ Of course, I guess I wasn’t supposed to be in there or something, so an officer herded me out. I asked him if Adrien had an alibi, and he said something about how he couldn’t tell them because it was a secret.” Chloe sighed again. “I know he was telling the truth.”

“But what secret was he talking about? Why couldn’t he tell them?”

“Adrien has something he’s never told me about, but I know a little about it.” She leaned in closer. “It has something to do with his father being Hawkmoth…”

Shocked, Marinette realized exactly what his alibi was. _Ladybug and Chat Noir were patrolling the night the mayor was killed._ “Shit,” she swore, for the fiftieth time today. She gathered her papers and her cup of coffee. “Thanks, Chloe.”

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“Going to prove that Adrien is innocent.”

Without another word, she drove to the station. Walking in the front doors, she noticed that everyone was in a frenzy. “What’s going on?” She asked Officer Bisset.

Bisset stared at her, frustration implanted in his eyes. “Adrien escaped.”

Marinette swore again. 

“We’ll find him, don’t worry.”

Marinette decided that there was nothing else she could do and headed home. It was late afternoon, so she figured she could do some self-care and get to bed early to help relieve stress. 

As soon as she closed her front door, she heard a voice whisper, “Marinette.” She screeched, throwing her purse blindly towards the noise. She heard a thump, then someone muttered, “Ow.”

She frantically reached for the light switch and drew a breath when she realized who, exactly, was hiding under her hallway table. “Adrien?”

“Keep it down. I don’t want anyone to hear me.”

“How-” she stuttered. “How did you escape?”

He grinned in a Chat-like manner and said, “You don’t think a pair of handcuffs can hold me down, do you?”

She smacked her forehead. “You’re a piece of work.”

“But you love me.” He replied.

She flushed and ran into the kitchen. “Nevermind that. How are we going to prove that you’re innocent?”

“Wait, how do you know that I’m innocent?”

“Well, first of all, genius-” she poured a glass of water- “if I thought you _were_ guilty, there would be police here right now.”

“Oh.” He contemplated that for a moment. “Why, though?”

She handed him the glass of water, and he took a sip. “Because I know _you_ weren’t the one threatening me last night. And I think that person killed both the Mayor _and_ Max. It adds up. It’s the only conclusion that I’m mostly certain about. Also, I know your alibi. And I know how to prove you’re innocent.”

He spat out the water. “What- How- When-”

“I have my ways.” She got a rag to wipe up the water. “You need to tell everyone you’re Chat Noir. It’s the only way.”

He sputtered some more. “How did you know?”

She held up her phone. “I didn’t realize you used the same phone for both Chat and Adrien. My contact lists are synced. I connected some dots.” She got to her feet. “Honestly, I don’t know how I didn’t see it earlier.”

She watched as the gears in his head went into motion. “Wait…” He gaped at her. “Are you… stalking me?”

She sighed. “You’re an idiot, Adrien.”

He sputtered again. “That’s rude!” 

“You can’t possibly be more dense!” She rolled her eyes. “Use that brain of yours.”

He thought for a second, then his eyes widened with shock. “Ladybug?”

She gave him his own little two-finger salute, and said, “In the flesh.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, I was shocked, too. Last night was pretty overwhelming for me.” 

Adrien stared at her as if she were an alien. “Prove it.”

She sighed. “Seriously?” He nodded, and she called for Tikki. “Tikki, this idiot needs proof.”

Tikki floated over and waved. Plagg finally popped out of Adrien’s pocket with a grin. “Finally. You two are love-sick fools.” The two kwamis embraced, and Adrien was still in shock.

“No way,” he repeated.

“Come on, Cat Boy. We have a case to solve.” 

They spend the rest of the night staring at the evidence and wondering who the killer was. Finally, when they were both yawning and their eyes hurt, Marinette got up and stretched. “Time for bed.”

Adrien stood up too. “I don’t mean to intrude, but… I’m pretty sure they have 24-7 surveillance on my apartment and I don’t think I can go home.” 

“Right. I guess we’ll just have to have a double sleepover then.”

“You’re fine with that?”

“I trust you.”

“Ok, then.”

They got ready for bed quickly. Marinette crawled into bed and watched Adrien stand in the doorway. “Uh, goodnight. I’ll go sleep on the couch.”

“No way, you silly goose. That thing is more uncomfortable than concrete.”

He nodded and shuffled over to the bed. “I feel like I’ve been really intrusive lately.”

“We’re partners. That’s ok.” Marinette smiled, trying to hide her blush. _Get it together._

He eased himself onto the bed. “Thanks.” They sat in a comfortable silence until Adrien said, “I really am sorry for what I said to you. You should know that’s one of my biggest regrets. I was angry at the world, and I took it out on you. My best friends. You didn’t deserve it.”

“No,” Marinette spoke softly, “we didn’t deserve it. But it happened anyway. So we just have to move on.” 

“I just wish I could apologize to Alya and Nino too…”

“Well, they moved to Greece right after college, so that might not be so easy.” Minutes flew by, but neither of them fell asleep. Marinette finally whispered, “You broke my heart.”

Adrien flinched and turned to face her. “What?”

“I… had a crush on you for the longest time. I idolized you.” She took a breath. “You tore my world apart when you said that.”

“I’m so sorry.” He sat in silence, trying to find words. “I guess that makes two of us.”

“What?”

“I had a big crush on you. Well, Ladybug, but still you.” 

Marinette stewed in that fact. “You were just messing around. You flirted with _everyone_.”

He sighed. “Yes, but I knew in my heart that you were the only one for me.”

“That’s cheesy.” She giggled. “Well, I guess we were both a little blind.”

“Yeah.”

A flash of lightning startled them both. They laughed. Suddenly, Adrien leaned forward, staring at Marinette’s lips. She felt her heart beat faster. _What was happening?_

She leaned forward, too, until they were sharing the same breath. Marinette thanked her lucky stars that she remembered to brush her teeth before bed. Suddenly, Adrien drew back, panic written on his face. “Sorry…”

She pulled back, too, and swallowed. “Uh, it’s ok.” She turned over. “Good night.”

“Good night.” He muttered.

_What just happened?_

_...and why is my heart beating so fast?_

* * *

The next morning, Marinette called in sick to work. She claimed she didn’t feel well, and that she would work from home. 

In reality, she just wanted more time to work through the case with Adrien. They needed to find out who the killer was, and how to prove Adrien’s innocence, without revealing Chat, if possible.

Sipping a hot cup of coffee, she said, “So, any guesses on who it is?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Chloe is the only one who had any fingerprints in the room, and that’s only because she was in there right before he was killed. As for footprints, mine are everywhere, for some reason.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Don’t you think that’s a coincidence?”

“Hmm?”

“Chloe is the last one seen with her father. She has fingerprints all over the room. She knows where you live, right?” Adrien nodded. “She could’ve stolen your boots and framed you. She probably wanted her inheritance or something. There’s her motive.”

“We need more evidence. We shouldn’t go accusing people without proof.” He raked his hands through his hair. “That, and I genuinely hope Chloe didn’t murder her father.”

“Yeah. I’ll go in to talk to Chloe this afternoon.”

* * *

When Marinette walked into the Grand Paris Hotel, she was immediately greeted by the exact person she wanted to talk to. 

“Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe acknowledged.

“Chloe. Do you have a moment?” Marinette asked.

“I guess.” Chloe shrugged and led her into a private room. “What do you want? Do you know where Adrien is?”

“Chloe, this is an open investigation. I can’t go around divulging information before it’s closed,” Marinette chided. “You know that.”

“I don’t know what any of that fancy nonsense means.”

“I can’t tell you if he’s been seen or not yet.” She sighed. “Anyway, I wanted to ask where you went after talking to your father that night.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “I told you, I had a sleepover with Sabrina, and we were watching a movie and painting our nails.”

Marinette jotted that down on her notepad. “Ok.”

“We were watching Mean Girls, if that helps.” Chloe smiled. “It’s Sabrina’s favorite movie.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“And have you seen my toes? They’re beautiful, I painted mine blue.”  
  


“Uh-huh. Nice, Chloe.” Marinette figured this was a dead end. “Thanks. I have to go now.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Marinette’s next stop was the police station. She wanted to look at Adrien’s boots and any other physical evidence. When she walked in, she saw Bisset sporting a coffee mug. He greeted her with, “I thought you were sick.”

She shrugged. “Just a morning bug, I guess.”

“Jesus, are you pregnant?” Bisset asked, his eyes wide.

She recoiled. “What? No. I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

He smirked. “Yeah, but don’t think I don’t know about your one night stand with Mr. Agreste. You can’t fool me.”

She laughed. “Ha. Fraternizing with the enemy. I like that.”

“Anyway, why are you here? We’ll talk about your scandalous activities later.”

“Scandalous?” Marinette rolled her eyes. “You’re acting like my parents. I’m here because I’m intent on solving this case.”

“Yeah, well, it’s already been solved. You’re too late.” He frowned. “They found Adrien’s footprint, and it had traces of the same dirt on the floor and his boots. We know it was him.”

“I thought he had an alibi..?” She questioned.

“Nope. He claimed it was confidential and wouldn’t tell us anything else. Was he with you?”

She looked away. “No.”

“Yeah, well, unless he magically pulls a bullet-proof alibi out of his butt, he’s the killer.” Bisset shook his empty coffee mug. “I’m off to find more coffee. God knows I need it.”

“Good luck,” she remarked, somewhat sarcastic. She wandered into the evidence room flashing her badge and smiling at the security guard. She walked around some more until she found a box labeled _Adrien Agreste’s shoes_. Pulling it out, she walked over to an examining table and slipped on some gloves. She turned on the bright overhead light and pulled one shoe from the box. 

Sure enough, there was some dirt on the bottom. Other than that, the outside didn’t look any different. It was when she looked at the inside that her heart stopped. She pulled the tongue back and held up the shoe to the light. At first glance, she didn’t see anything. Then, a flash of color hit her eye. 

_Blue_ , to be exact. 

She quickly put the shoe back in the box, peeled off her gloves, and raced out of the evidence room. She almost knocked Bisset over when she ran out of the station. “Hey! Watch my coffee, you crazy woman!” 

She merely flipped him off and started her car. It was safe to say that she went ten miles over the speed limit the whole ride home.

“Any particular reason why you came running in here like a bat out of hell?” Adrien asked as she ran in the door.

“I know who did it.” She met his gaze. “I know who killed Mayor Bourgeois, and who framed you.”

“What? Who?” He asked. He was humming with anticipation. 

She grabbed his wrist. “Just come with me to the station.”

“What?” He shook his head. “They arrest me on sight.”

“That’s the point.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I know. Just trust me.”

They got into the car. 

* * *

“Are the handcuffs necessary?” Adrien groaned. 

She smiled and winked. “You bet.”

They were sitting in her car in front of the police station. She opened her door and stepped out. Then she opened Adrien’s door and yanked him out.

Bisset ran out of the station with two other officers. “Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

“Call Chloe Bourgeois.” She said. “I think she wanted to talk to Adrien.”

“Good thing I’m already here, Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe stepped out from behind the officers. She marched over and slapped Adrien, tears burning in her eyes. “How could you?”

_Well,_ Marinette thought. _That’s a complete 180 from her behavior earlier._

“Chlo…” Adrien said, his voice weak.

Sabrina walked over to Chloe, holding her arm protectively. “Chloe, it’s ok.”

“Why are you two here?” Marinette asked.

“We were going to volunteer to find Adrien. I guess you beat us to it though.”

“Yeah. Go lock him up.” Marinette shoved him at Bisset with a grimace. 

“Where did you find him?” Bisset asked. 

She smirked. “At my house.”

“Jeez. Psycho.”

She walked into the station. “Now that that’s all taken care of… Chloe, can I see your pedicure?”

“I knew you’d ask. It’s superb.” Chloe slipped her socks and sneakers off. “I even painted little bees on them.”

“Nice,” she said, then whispered to Bisset, “Do you have a spare pair of handcuffs?”

“Why?” He questioned, but handed them to her.

“You’ll see.” She walked to the evidence room and waved to the guard. “I just need to grab something real quick.” She retrieved Adrien’s boots and walked back out to the lobby. “These are the boots found on the crime scene.”

Chloe frowned. “Those are ugly.”

Marinette pulled out the tongue. “Anyone care to take a peek at the inside of this shoe?”

Bisset stepped forward. “What do you see?”

“Look for yourself.”

Wordlessly, Bisset took a peak. Then, he stared down at Chloe’s freshly painted toes. “No way.”

Marinette said, “Chloe, do you want to tell me why your exact shade of nail polish is also inside that boot?”

Chloe gaped. “What?” She glanced at Sabrina. “I didn’t do it, I swear! It was Adrien!”

“You also know where Adrien lives,” Marinette continued, “so you could have stolen his boots. Obviously, your toes were still wet when you put his shoes on. Why else would he have blue nail polish in there?”

“I… I don’t know! But it wasn’t me!”

Marinette watched as Chloe once again looked at Sabrina. “I know how to prove Adrien’s innocence, too.”

“Then why did you bring him in handcuffs?” Bisset asked.

“I didn’t want to scare away the killer.” Marinette looked pointedly at Chloe. “Also, Adrien has a ‘bullet-proof’ alibi, as you mentioned before.”

Bisset asked, “What do you mean?”

Marinette exclaimed, “I hope you can keep a secret,” and led the puzzled officers into the holding cell where Adrien was. She gestured for two of the rookie officers to ensure that Chloe and Sabrina stayed back, as they weren’t allowed in the cell.

However, instead of finding Adrien, Chat Noir smiled from inside the cell. “Damn, did I miss my grand entrance?”

Marinette grinned. “No, I just didn’t want Chloe and Sabrina to know. This is private.”

Chat Noir nodded. “Plagg, claws in.”

There stood Adrien, handcuff-free and grinning.

Bisset swore. Everyone else gasped. Marinette stated, “Of course, he didn’t want to reveal his secret, so he couldn’t share his alibi. Now, you have stone-cold evidence that wasn’t him.”

“So that’s how he escaped the first time!” Bisset laughed. He handed one of the officers a five-dollar bill. “Crap, Jerry. You were right.”

Adrien frowned. “Stop making bets about me.”

“Anyway,” Marinette interrupted, eager to solve the case. She opened the Ladyblog on her phone, which Alya passed on to her sisters when she moved to Greece. “Look at this picture. Ladybug and Chat Noir were on patrol while the Mayor was murdered.”

“So… he couldn’t have done it?” Bisset inquired.

“Exactly.” She led the police officers out of the cell, Adrien following. “Adrien is innocent, and he has an alibi to prove it. And Chloe Bourgeois is guilty for the murder of her father. She was the last person seen with him. She knows how to cause a heart attack. Her prints were all over the room. Her toenails match the polish on the inside of Adrien’s boots.”

Chloe listened, shocked, and said, “But, what was Adrien’s alibi?”

Marinette exchanged a look with Bisset. “That’s top-secret information that we can’t disclose.”

Marinette leaned forward to put handcuffs on Chloe, who started sobbing. “Please… Please, I wouldn’t do it. I couldn’t…” Suddenly, her sobs stopped. “But I know who could.” She shifted her gaze to Sabrina. Frantically, she tackled Sabrina to the ground and wrestled off her shoe. Bisset stepped in to restrain her as Sabrina pulled out a gun and aimed it at Chloe. However, the damage was already done.

Sabrina’s toes were painted the same robin’s egg blue.

“Shut up, stupid bitch,” she growled. Marinette felt her heart stop. “You just ruined everything. You’re going to pay.”

Marinette gasped. “ _You_ killed Mayor Bourgeois?”

Sabrina laughed evilly. “Did you seriously believe Chloe was smart enough to pull that off?”

“But… the evidence.” 

Sabrina stared at her. “It’s really easy to frame someone else, you know? Just steal their shoes, wear gloves… and, boom. Suddenly no one thinks it’s you.” 

Marinette thought for a second. “Did _you_ break into my house, then?”

“No,” Sabrina responded. “That was my idiot father who was trying to protect me.”

Chloe gasped, once again crying. “Why, Sabrina?”

“Chloe, I loved you.”

Everyone gasped at that. 

“But your father got in the way of that. He disapproved, and then he laid off my dad for having a daughter like me. It just wasn’t fair. Nothing’s fair.” A tear slipped down Sabrina’s cheek. “Besides, Chloe, I don’t think you ever truly loved me. And for that, you have to pay.”

Then, without warning, she shot the gun. Chloe screamed, and several officers rushed forward. Then a second shot rang out, but Marinette couldn’t see where. Adrien pushed his way over and shielded her. 

Marinette felt numb for the next few moments. Bisset ran off to call paramedics, and Chloe was lying on the floor, bleeding with a bullet lodged in her gut. 

Sabrina, however, had shot herself in the head.

* * *

_Two weeks later…_

Adrien and Marinette swung through Paris as their superhero alter egos. Ladybug, of course, was carrying Chat bridal style.

They stopped to take a few pictures with eager, star-struck children, then continued on to their destination. The sun was setting, and they didn’t want to be out too late. Finally, they came to a stop in front of Andre and his ice cream cart, right at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

“One ice cream, please,” Ladybug chirped.

“I thought you didn’t want to share a romantic ice cream with me?” Chat pouted.

She giggled and bopped his nose. Andre smiled and served up their ice cream. “Blueberry and mint, a scrumptious combination.”

They thanked Andre and paid, then went to the top of the Eiffel Tower to eat it. They sat in silence while taking turns eating bites.

“I hate to be a downer, but… this all seems surreal.” Adrien said, finally.

Ladybug smiled and said, “Hmm?”

“Chloe, Mayor Bourgeois, Max, and Sabrina are gone. All in a span of a week.”

Ladybug lost her grin. “Oh. Yeah.”

“I wish we could’ve saved them.”

“I don’t think there’s much we could do.”

They sat in silence for another minute, then Chat said, “We’re not very good detectives, are we?”

Ladybug considered this. “I mean, we aren’t Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but we make do.”

“Yeah.” 

He turned to get another bite but noticed that Ladybug had a smear of ice cream on her cheek. “Hey, bug. You have a little something… right here…”

He wiped it off, but his hand lingered as he stared into her eyes.

Slowly, he leaned in, and this time he didn’t stop as their lips met. He didn’t have any other thought in his mind except _this is pure bliss._

Finally, too soon, Ladybug pulled away breathing heavily. “We can’t. Not right here.”

She was right. Someone might catch them and snap a picture. Adrien knew all about the pesky paparazzi.

Silently, Ladybug scooped him up and swung off towards her house. She slid open her bedroom window and they tumbled through. Chat blushed. Ladybug grabbed his face and kissed him, hard. 

“Hold on.” Chat said, drawing back. “Plagg, claws in.”

She nodded. “Tikki, spots off.”

Then they embraced without any masks between them. It got heated quickly, and Marinette pushed Adrien towards the bed. Adrien pulled away again and asked, “Are you sure?”

She nodded and blushed. “Bisset already thinks you got me pregnant.”

Adrien pulled back in surprise. “Excuse me?”

Then, the lights flicked on. Marinette and Adrien screamed in shock, and let their eyes adjust to the brightness.

Alya stood in the doorway, her mouth wide open. Nino wasn’t too far behind her, his expression equally shocked. 

“‘Excuse me’ is right.” Alya asserted. 

Nino moved forward. “We came home for a surprise visit, but I guess we didn’t expect to be the ones surprised.”

Marinette stammered, “Uh, we aren’t Ladybug and Chat Noir…” at the same time Adrien said, “There’s nothing going on between us!”

Alya glared at them. “You two are filthy _liars._ ”

Alya and Nino exchanged a glance, then smiled. 

“You have some explaining to do, dudes,” Nino said.

**Author's Note:**

> Anybody who sees my search history after this is going to be severely concerned. Oops.
> 
> A conversation between me and my beta:
> 
> Me: what is the superior breakfast food  
> Her: cream of wheat/rice  
> Me: no way  
> Her: yep. hot cereal is [ok hand emoji]  
> Me: you could've picked ANYTHING and you picked that  
> Her: dude it's the best!! I love it!!!  
> Me: crepes? pancakes? eggs? some extravagant french dish? quiche?  
> Her: CREAM OF WHEAT SLAPS  
> Me: do french people eat it  
> Her: I have literally no idea  
> Me: thanks for the help
> 
> As you can tell, I'm re-thinking my friendship choices...
> 
> (seriously though- I <3 you thank you for putting up with my shenanigans)
> 
> Drop a comment! Let me know how I'm doing! I appreciate you.


End file.
